John Hamilton, who owns 14 Oreck Clean Home Center stores, has heard rumors that Oreck may expand its Cookeville factory.

Written by

G. Chambers Williams III
| The Tennessean

Speculation continues to grow over whether the soon-to-be new owner of Oreck Corp. will keep the company's manufacturing plant in Cooke­ville, Tenn., or close it and send production of the vacuum cleaners abroad.

Some of Oreck's independent dealers have heard that not only will the new owner, Royal Appliance Manufacturing Co., continue to make Oreck vacuums in Cookeville, but that the company also would move production of its own Royal brand cleaners to the Tennessee plant from China.

"People are nervous, but we don't know anything yet," said John Hamilton, a former, longtime Oreck ...